ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — a city
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — in music
  12. field — farmland
  13. firm — steady
  14. can — a tin
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — a subject
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com